Tip-In: No Gas Left in the Tank; Raptors Fall Apart in 4th, Lose 111 to 100 to Spurs

by Adam Francis on Feb 10, 2011 8:30 AM EST in Tip-In (Post Game Reports)

After getting blown out in Milwaukee the Raptors returned to the Air Canada Center to host the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs. The HQ's Sasha Kalra takes a look at what happened...

The San Antonio Spurs had beaten the Toronto Raptors earlier in the season but the these teams had split the season series in the past 3 years. (A Roko Ukic masterclass comes to mind.)

The Raptors wanted to make it 4 years in a row as they kept up with the Spurs right up until the final quarter. They took a 2 point lead into the 4th...

...and that was when a Herculean collapse ensued.

Manu Ginobili delivered an emphatic dunk to start the quarter and that would prove to be a statement of intent for the veteran Spurs.

This game will be undoubtedly remembered thanks to DeJuan Blair's beastly line of 28 and 11 with a steal and two blocks, but that would be a disservice to the Spurs point guards who afforded him all of the space he feasted on. His performance can probably be best put into perspective by looking to his coach, the one and only Greg Popovich:

"We don't call his number. We don't do anything for him. We don't throw him the ball. We don't do anything..."

Tony Parker, George Hill and Manu Ginobili had effective games as they combined for 43 points and 23 assists. They got to the rim at will and created enough space for Blair to do some damage. They were the catalysts who helped the Spurs finish with 70 (yes 70) points in the paint and once again the Raptors lack of interior defence was exposed.

It is worrying that Blair's career high (twice) has come against the Raptors and in particular Andrea Bargnani. Speaking of Il Mago, he led the Raptors in scoring with 29 points and chipped in with 2 rebounds. He was aggressive early on and finished with a good shooting percentage. DeMar DeRozan's mid range jumper was once again as smooth looking as ever. He scored 25 points and contributed with 4 boards and 4 assists.

But outside of those two, and Amir Johnson's heroic 12 points and 13 rebounds, there wasn't a lot to write home about. Bench production was awful for the Raptors as Leandro Barbosa was the only reserve to register a point. And he was a team low -16 on the night. The Brazilian Blur finished with 20 points but hurt the team with his shoot-first mentality late in the game when the Dinos should have been looking to feed DeRozan or Bargnani.

Greg Popovich has done a great job remodeling this Spurs team. Tim Duncan is averaging career lows across the board but most importantly in minutes per game. When you have guys like Blair, Hill and Gary Neal ready to step in, it makes that transition much easier. The Spurs look to push the tempo and are one of the best scoring teams in the league this season, something they weren't known for in years' past.

On last night's evidence it was clear that San Antonio really decided to show up in the 4th quarter. Through the first 3 they seemed to be going through the motions and keeping up with a team that was giving it their all. They became a totally different beast in the 4th as they methodologically killed off the Raptors.

If Popovich can keep this team healthy throughout the season nobody would be surprised to see Tim Duncan lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the 5th time in his career come May.

For the Raptors the focus now shifts to Friday when they will host Portland and their in-form forward LaMarcus Aldridge. You think Nate McMillan is going to show him a tape of Blair's game?

Noteworthy occurrences

-Midway through the 1st Amir Johnson clashed with DeJuan Blair in the air and landed gingerly on Sonny Weems. He had a sprained right ankle but returned to the court and gave the type of gritty performance that would make Jeff Bridges jealous.

-70 points in the paint! I know this has already been mentioned but I felt the need to bring it up again.

-Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar was in attendance and looked like he was enjoying the game. That was until Rod Black began to interview him...

-It was a pleasure watching the Spurs move the ball on offense. They almost always take the best shot available. The Raptors could learn a thing or two

-Does any team embody their coach as much the Spurs do Popovich? Their no-nonsense efficient approach is eerily reminiscent of their coach and his best qualities

-The Raptors were awful in defending the pick and roll. Parker, Hill and Manu were killing Jose and Bayless all night with their penetration.

-Franchise apologizes for the lack of a "Rapid Recap" last night. He was too zoned into the Duke-North Carolina match that tipped prior to the finish of the SA-TO match...

Sasha Kalra

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2 rebounds

I don’t care what the apologists have to say, this is pathetic.

by PNUTZ on Feb 10, 2011 9:14 AM EST reply actions

Let's add zero fouls to that (props to McGateway for highlighting that in the game thread)

Truly amazing, isn’t it? The opposing team scores 70 points in the paint yet the starting centre (or power forward or whatever you want to call him) racks up zero fouls.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Feb 10, 2011 9:47 AM EST up reply actions

Let’s also add this:

"It is worrying that Blair’s career high (twice) has come against the Raptors and in particular Andrea Bargnani."

It would be so funny if it wasn’t so egregious! Blair gets career highs against Bargnani not once but TWICE!!! I wonder how many stubs owe their career highs to Il Mago? I bet a lot of opponents want to take him out to dinner. 70 pts in the paint… My God…

by MAS11 on Feb 10, 2011 12:46 PM EST up reply actions

Its extremely embarrassing when opposing team’s players look forward to playing a 7 footer with no defensive instinct.

by untouchable_21 on Feb 10, 2011 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

Franchise and I were just chatting about this earlier today. Last time the Raptors played the Spurs, Blair destroyed Bargnani. So if you were Jay Triano, wouldn’t you look to do something different this time? Maybe… I dunno (because I’m obviously not a brilliant tactician like Triano)… match up Joey Dorsey with Blair?!

Nobody’s expecting this team to win 50 games. But some level of attention to detail would earn this club a few more wins and a much less frustrated fanbase.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Feb 10, 2011 1:03 PM EST up reply actions

Let’s give credit where credit is due. Splitter/Duncan/Bonner shot 9-17 against Bargnani with 15 boards to his 2.

Blair put up his 28 & 11 against Johnson/Davis, with Bargnani only peripherally responsible for his big night. It’s not great, and it is certainly splitting hairs, but Bargnani was not the primary culprit on this particular occasion. Yes, he didn’t help effectively, but if that’s news then the sun coming up is news.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 3:59 PM EST up reply actions

"...but if that’s news then the sun coming up is news."

Love this attitude. Let’s ignore it and its not important because it happens all the time… I would suggest the fact that it happens consistantly IS THE PROBLEM.

by MAS11 on Feb 10, 2011 4:08 PM EST up reply actions

70 points in the paint by the opposing team and zero fouls / two rebounds from Bargnani. Whether he was guarding Blair or failing to help, I’d say he did a miserable job all around. But, of course, a lot of people won’t be able to get past the “he scored 29 points” line of thinking.

If you think any team in this league is going to win with Bargnani playing significant minutes in the middle, you’re living in a land populated by unicorns, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Feb 10, 2011 5:28 PM EST up reply actions

Look, I am just yanking your chain to see how long it would take before the name calling and over-reactions started. Answer: not long…..

I agree that Bargnani’s defense sucked last night. I disagree that it was all his fault the Blair went to town. If that makes me a unicorn-believer then so be it.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 10:39 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

trying hard to find

where it says its “all his fault”…. can’t seem to find….what did I miss?

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 10, 2011 11:12 PM EST up reply actions

You don't have to look far...

This quote from MAS for example seems pretty clear:

“Blair gets career highs against Bargnani not once but TWICE!!! "

by DW19 on Feb 11, 2011 9:35 AM EST up reply actions

sorry my english is bad

trying to find where it says its all his fault in there?

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 11, 2011 12:58 PM EST up reply actions

sorry my english is bad

trying to find where it says its all his fault in there?

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 11, 2011 12:59 PM EST up reply actions

No worries, my English is excellent, I'll find it...

Hmmm, said his effort was pathetic… not the same thing…

Said opposing bigs look forward to abusing him… not it either…

Said (whether true or not) that one player on the other team has had his two best career games against him… still, not the same thing…

Huh, I guess he never said the whole thing was Bargs fault, just that he was a large, embarrassing factor in a game that, despite our obviously lesser team, we actually had a chance at grinding out a win…

Other things also contributed to the loss for sure, many not as obvious as this but oh well… you typically talk about the most noticeable thing as you generally have a broader audience to talk to…

Nobody mentions the fact that if somehow we had somehow traded for Kobe, Durant, and Dwight Howard all at once we probably would have won this game… because it’s not nearly as relevant to reality… but it’s still a factor I suppose…

So maybe we should spend every post-game sob-fest talking about our favourite trades that never happened and blame each current loss on that… seems more rational than talking about the weak game of the player actually in the game that soaks up the highest usage for the least return on investment… yea, sounds good…

KDFREATPED

by Mikthaniel on Feb 11, 2011 1:57 PM EST up reply actions

Oh I almost forgot...

“sounds good…BARGS!”

KDFREATPED

by Mikthaniel on Feb 11, 2011 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

Bargnani will have a poor game against portland, he usually does. Lamarkus always has something to prove against bargs and always wins the 1 on 1 battles. I can’t see it being any different this time

by bylowe1 on Feb 10, 2011 9:44 AM EST via mobile reply actions

I wonder why Aldridge wasn’t available the year he was drafted. Oh yeah cause we drafted some other guy.

by McGateway on Feb 10, 2011 12:08 PM EST up reply actions

Lessons from Spurs

I don’t remember the pre-draft comparables, but lately Bargnani has been reminding me or a guy Vlad Radmanovic who had some offensive promise, but never adapted to the defensive or physical aspects of the league.

Last night at least Bargnani’s shot selection was a little bit better. He ought to foul a few guys just for the sake of it. Blair scored his 28 points with 0 free throws. If Bargs gets to the fourth quarter with no fouls then he ought to just commit a couple of hard fouls for the sake of not looking like a wuss. Blair is a 67% FT shooter, which is better than his 100% conversion rate on dunks last night. Sorry Bargs, but you have become way too effete this season. Get your hands dirty brother….

As far as the rest of the team goes, have to give props to Amir for once again giving 100% for the team. That guy and Jose are the true leaders of this team. Don’t know what happened to Bayless last night, but he couldn’t run the offence worth a damn. In past games, he and Barbosa have played well together, but not last night.

He didn’t play great last night, but I would have still given Ed a few more minutes especially when the game got out of hand in the fourth. Amir should been sitting with about 5 minutes left when it became obvious that a comeback was not happening.

The Raps were never going to win this won anyway, but at least they kept it close most of the way through. It was certainly better than some of their January performances.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 10:10 AM EST reply actions

Davis and Hitting The Rookie Wall

He may have hit the rookie wall

He is now up to

36 games 775 minutes

In his two seasons at UNC he played

2008-09 38 games 716 minutes
2009-10 23 games 641 minutes

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/TOR/2011.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=36668

I think however, that after the all-star game break he could pick it up again.

We shall see

by Buddahfan on Feb 10, 2011 10:19 AM EST reply actions

We will never know for sure if Davis did/will hit the Rookie wall

Triano hasn’t given him the oportunity to hit the wall!

by MAS11 on Feb 10, 2011 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

Triano

I think when people think that Triano should be replaced they might be missing a couple of things

Out of the 240 minutes available last night

172 or 72% where played by guys 25 and under.

Of the players that played last night only Calderon and Barbosa are older than 25 and neither one of them can play defense. Now I am not saying that all the young guys that played last night will still be around come next season but this is what Triano and his coaching staff are now working with.

Personally I think that they are doing a pretty good job in developing the young players.

Having said that the Clippers when Gordon is healthy are starting three players 22 an under along with BD and R. Gomes. The Clippers defense has now become pretty good.

I know that this has been said before but I will reiterate it at this time.

I think the biggest issue on defense other than Bargnani is he perimeter/wing defense. None of the three guards who got most of the guard minutes last night can play good defense. Neither can Weems at this point.

Whereas with respect to the Clippers BD and EJ can and do play good defense. In addition the Clippers have DJ in the middle whose defense is a lot better than Bargnani’s. Finally Gomes is a lot better defender than Weems is.

How much of this falls on Triano and his coaches vs the players just not having what it takes to play good defense or just being young only time will tell.

by Buddahfan on Feb 10, 2011 10:36 AM EST reply actions

Triano lost the game for them in the fourth quarter

…he set there and watched the bench players getting ripped apart by the Spurs in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter. He should’ve called a timeout right after first few Parker’s drives to the basket. He chose to let the guys get their spirit (if they have any) knocked out and then it was just a usual Raptors team. YES, it took Triano 3 to 4 minutes to stop it, which amounted to 15-4 Spurs run – game over!. He is as slow of a coach as Bargs in his defending.

And I don’t care how many points Bargs scored, but watching Parker in the first few minutes of third quarter one on one with Bargs under the basket and going through Bargs’ hands and scoring is just a shame. One cannot call a 2 rebounds, 0 fouls Centre a future of the Raptors team. And I don’t care that he is under 25 years old. He has 4.5 seasons of NBA basketball behind him. He is done “DEVELOPING”.

by siouxsie30_rep on Feb 10, 2011 10:55 AM EST up reply actions

Disagree totally

Once the Spurs decided to take control no combination of Raptors players would have stopped them. They could have switched to whatever strategy and called timeouts as frequently as they wanted to and it wouldn’t have made a difference. The Spurs are just a better team and when focused there is nothing the current Raptors can do to beat them, regardless of the coach.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 11:10 AM EST up reply actions

I agree

that the Spurs are a better team. I am saying that Triano did not help Raptors in the first few minutes of the fourth. As you I also want the young guys to play as much as they can and develop. I just don’t want to see them getting destroyed all the time and the help they get from the coaching staff is more than subpar…

by siouxsie30_rep on Feb 10, 2011 11:21 AM EST up reply actions

yep last few minutes of the 4th

were a joke. Bargs the only big? Suprised that Blair got 4 offensive boards and 6 points in less than 1 minute?

Barbossa and Jose pushed the ball and the Raps scored, but then gave up all those points because this teams center can’t rebound and, I can only guess, Triano somehow thought he would for once. (wrong again Jay)

Just plain dumb

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 10, 2011 8:21 PM EST up reply actions

As long as...........

…Jay Triano is the coach of this team, this team will never win anything. He’s not a bonafide NBA coach. NBA Assistant? Sure. NBA Head Coach – no way. If you look at all the top NBA teams – Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, Bulls etc… – granted they have the talent, but theres also something else – a strong minded head coach who preaches defense first…..I’m not including Miami because Spoelstra is not of that mould, but looking down on their entire team is Pat Riley and since his Knicks days he’s been a defensive minded coach……it’s been known for years in Toronto that we lack a tough minded team and defensive/rebouding presence and Jay Triano is not the answer to that problem…….from day one i hated BC hiring him as head coach when there were so many other experienced head coaches available at the time

by bp3isclassic on Feb 10, 2011 3:20 PM EST up reply actions

Again, it is easy to say that but all the criticism that we have for Jay, are the same for a lot of coaches including Doc RIvers who is now widely respected and Phil Jackson’s Lakers were going nowhere fast even with a player of Kobe’s caliber on the team until Gasol showed up. Talent trumps all. Maybe he has no possible chance of being a coach in the NBA but seeing as there isn’t much talent on the roster (at least that is ready to compete at a championship level) so I am willing to give him slack even if he is incompetent.

by McGateway on Feb 10, 2011 9:18 PM EST up reply actions

The lack of objectivity on this website is laughable

Look, I agree that Bargnani is a horrible rebounder and help defender. Its fine to criticize him for his weaknesses in those areas. Its what will always keep him from being an anything other than a one dimensional player. I get that. But doesn’t it get old to blame him for everything that goes wrong. You talk about Hill, Parker and Ginobli having good games but no mention of the complete lack of perimeter defence. Jose and DD were horrible defensively and the Spurs smalls destroyed us all game including the stretches when Bargs was not on the floor. As for Blair, I guess its not worth mentioning the Bargs was on Duncan/Splitter/Bonner for 90% of the game whereas Amir and Davis were assigned to Blair. I went back and rewatched the game and the only time that Bargnani was on Blair was on a couple of transition plays and a short 2 minute stretch at the end of the game when both teams went small. My point is not to suggest that Barg’s is better than other Raptor defenders….he’s not. But to say that “It is worrying that Blair’s career high (twice) has come against the Raptors and in particular Andrea Bargnani” is completely laughable.

by cmrm123 on Feb 10, 2011 11:07 AM EST reply actions

Huh?

I reread the article and fail to see where it blamed Bargnani for the loss. You do know that criticizing someone (rightfully) for their play is not the same as blaming them entirely for the loss.

It’s great that you rewatched the game, but while Bargnani was not covering Blair much, did you count how many times Bargnani failed to switch onto Blair when he was supposed to? A lot of people fail to notice these little things.

As for Jose and DeMar’s defense, both Parker and Ginobili scored below their season average. Overall, both of them did a decent job defending their men. DeMar doing a better job than Jose.

Tim W.
The Picket Fence

by Tim W. on Feb 10, 2011 11:16 AM EST up reply actions

most of the penetration

was off picks by Duncan.. in which Bargs did NOTHING to try and help or prevent. No hedging, no stepping out not anything. Its not like these were blow bys off the dribble.

by Not so Friendly Stranger on Feb 10, 2011 8:24 PM EST up reply actions

Half agree

Despite my comments above about Bargnani & Blair, I agree with cmrm. Johnson and Davis completely failed in stopping Blair as did Bargnani when he defended him. Davis and Johnson don’t really have the mass and strength to handle a guy like Blair, although they have a height/reach advantage.

As far as Bargnani, it would have been nice to see him show a little solidarity with his overmatched teammates by committing a couple of hard fouls on Blair when he beat Johnson/Davis, but that is probably not in Bargs mental make-up. In support of the anti-Bargnani’s: while Andrea held Matt Bonner to 25% shooting, Duncan & Splitter shot 9-14 against him and outrebounded him 15-2.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 11:18 AM EST up reply actions

Johnson Not Stopping Blair

Blair got most of his points on the 4th quarter.

I am amazed that Johnson was still out their playing with that bad ankle. No he is is not going to be able to stop Blair while Johnson is playing with 1.5 ankles.

Geez

by Buddahfan on Feb 10, 2011 11:23 AM EST up reply actions

Totally agree. Don’t take my comment as criticism of Johnson. I am saying that he couldn’t stop Blair and what you say about his ankle is probably 80% of the reason why. That is why I wanted to see Davis sent back out when Blair started heating up. Better to save Johnson for another day than keep him out there on a bad ankle.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 11:28 AM EST up reply actions

Sending Davis Back In

He was not playing very good game,

Would he have been able to do better than Johnson in the 4th quarter?

I think if Davis had been playing good then I would agree. However based upon his play in the game up until that point it seems to me that it comes down to a Monday morning,or in this case Thursday morning arm chair quarterback discussion which are a lot of fun to have

by Buddahfan on Feb 10, 2011 11:50 AM EST up reply actions

Okay here is where some of the blame lies on the coach. There are two other players who could have gone out there to guard Blair if Davis was off, Dorsey and Ajinca. Now Ajinca may not have been able to handle him but Dorsey is a beast and Blair would have had to finesse him to get his points. I would rather force Blair into 15 foot jump shots then watch him dunk it every play.
I also want to make a point about the PG Defensive situation. Good and Great PG are going to get their points/assists no matter what. However, I have noticed that Calderon tends to play his man tighter than he probably should considering his lack of mobility (athleticism) thus forcing the opposing PG into shooting jumpers which coincidentally tends to be a weak point for most of even the best PG’s. Maybe he didn’t do that last night but it is how he has played them in the past.

by McGateway on Feb 10, 2011 12:18 PM EST up reply actions

I was thinking about that during the game, not after. However, McG makes a good point that maybe Dorsey would have been a better candidate to guard Blair.

My main point is to avoid making Amir’s injury worse and to increase his chance of recovering to near 100% for the next game, once things got out of hand. Anyway, I think we are not far away from agreeing on this.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 12:28 PM EST up reply actions

but no mention of the complete lack of perimeter defence

I guess you don’t read all the posts on this website with its laughable lack of objectivity

I know that this has been said before but I will reiterate it at this time. I think the biggest issue on defense other than Bargnani is he perimeter/wing defense. None of the three guards who got most of the guard minutes last night can play good defense. Neither can Weems at this poin

by Buddahfan on Feb 10, 2011 11:21 AM EST up reply actions

This isn't lawn darts

It’s NBA Basketball. We all knew the Raps weren’t going to win this one, we all knew they weren’t going to win many this season. The point of this season seems to be development and trying to lock up a good lottery position.
That aside, no one blamed Bargs for the loss because no one expected them to win. You have to take what is given to you. Which is “the future of this team” who is 7’ tall gets 2 rebounds and 0 fouls. He is utterly lost on the court unless he has the ball in his hands and his shot is falling. And the part about Blair hitting his career highs twice agaisnt Bargs is not laughable, it seems to be a common occurence.

by PNUTZ on Feb 10, 2011 12:19 PM EST up reply actions

In your excitement to criticize Bargnani, you misread the original post. He is not saying Bargnani played great, he is saying that Blair was not Bargnani’s man. Blair posted his career highs against an injured Amir and an ineffective Ed.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

Trust me it’s not exciting. Bargnani can be blamed for alot of things that go wrong on the court. An injured Amir and ineffictive Ed still managed to grab some rebounds.

by PNUTZ on Feb 10, 2011 12:38 PM EST up reply actions

“Bargnani can be blamed for alot of things that go wrong on the court.”

Right, which is why it doesn’t make sense to blame him for something that largely was NOT his fault. He does plenty of things wrong, but this, for a change, wasn’t primarily on him.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 3:54 PM EST up reply actions

You're wasting your time cmrm123

Minds have been made up.

It is worrying that Blair’s career high (twice) has come against the Raptors and in particular Andrea Bargnani.

Funny when I read this, as I recall – and I’ll rerun the game again – Bargnani was on Duncan, while Amir (and Davis) were Blair. Buy hey … I’m biased.
.

by RapthoseLeafs on Feb 10, 2011 5:44 PM EST up reply actions

I know...thats why I rarely post here anymore

by cmrm123 on Feb 10, 2011 6:46 PM EST up reply actions

70 Points in the Paint vs. 2 Rebounds and 0 Fouls

So here’s an example of Bargnani “covering” Duncan while Johnson is covering Blair (go to the 2:10 mark).

I’m not even going to try to explain what Bargnani is doing on the pick and roll. Duncan is allowed to drive uncontested; Johnson is forced to leave Blair to help on Duncan (while the guy who was supposed to cover Duncan is wandering around in a haze on the perimeter); and Duncan dishes to Blair for the easy basket.

So on that particular play, I guess we can all agree that it was Johnson’s man who scored. But if you want to look at the root cause of why it happened, you’d have a hard time blaming Johnson. Amir has been a very productive player for the Raptors… but I imagine he’d lose most games of 2-on-1 vs. Duncan and Blair.

*please note: I did not use my bias to influence NBA.com to include that particular play in their highlight package.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Feb 10, 2011 8:01 PM EST up reply actions

Its okay, Bargnani is an all-star who chooses not to rebound because he wants his team mates to look good and chooses not to foul cause he is just that good of a defender.

by McGateway on Feb 10, 2011 9:21 PM EST up reply actions

I did not see the game, but it sounds like just about everybody sucked defensively. This is not shocking to me. Amir and Ed can not handle strong guys like Blair. I think Ed will eventually be able to though. I have always said that I think Bargs has his faults, which are very well documented around here, but he is better than what many people on this site give him credit for. He is much worse than the casual fan and the Raptors broadcasters think he is though…

StanceNato…Bargs is only half as bad as D-Stance thinks, but only half as good as Renato thinks…

Bargs is one of the better players on this team, but is not a good enough player (does not play with enough heart) to warrant more than 25-30 minutes a night.

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Feb 10, 2011 10:31 PM EST up reply actions

Just to add to this thought...

Here are some awe inspiring numbers courtesy of Buddafan via Basketball Referance (great research buddahfan!):

“There are 38 players in the NBA this season who are listed at 6’9” or more and are playing 30 + Minutes Per Game.

Here is where Bargnani ranks among this group in some of the more important big man categories.

Minutes Per Game – 15th

Usage % – 4th

Offensive Rating – 35th

Defensive Rating – 38th

Total Rebounding % – 33rd"

That is just terrible. The worst defensive rating of any player 6’9" or above that plays more than 30 minutes. and surprisingly to some the thrid worst offensive rating.

And sorry JumpShooters, I have to pick on this quote: “Baris is one of the better players on this team…” That’s not saying much considering how terrible this team is (on pace to win 21 games… yeeesh).

by MAS11 on Feb 10, 2011 11:31 PM EST up reply actions

I agree that saying somebody is one of the better players on the current Raptors squad is not saying much…I do not think much of Bargnani’s overall contributions, and I personally would trade him. However, I will stand by that he should get 25 minutes a night on this team.

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Feb 10, 2011 11:45 PM EST up reply actions

I’m pretty confident that Bargnani is, in fact, as bad as I think. Beyond a high usage rate and some scoring, what exactly is he contributing? Case in point: 70 points in the paint, two reounds and zero fouls against the Spurs. He might as well be invisible.

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Feb 10, 2011 11:36 PM EST up reply actions

Just to be clear, the StanceNato thing has always been a joke…

I know DStance and think he is very knowledgeable…I do not know Renato, but I have always felt that he makes some good points and obviously knows a lot about basketball.

In truth I fall a little closer to the DStance view, but still ie somewhere near the middle…Perhaps I should change it to the Stance-to system of evaluating Bargs…

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Feb 10, 2011 11:50 PM EST up reply actions

still ie somewhere should have read still lie somewhere

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Feb 10, 2011 11:50 PM EST up reply actions

Oh, and anytime you’re 7 foot center collects 2 in 38 minutes, fewer than Amir, Davis (in 17 minutes), Calderon and DeRozan, all while the opposing team is outrebounding you, you deserve some flack.

Tim W.
The Picket Fence

by Tim W. on Feb 10, 2011 11:18 AM EST reply actions

Completely agree that Bargnani deserves flack

He is the worst rebounder and help defender of all our bigs. My intention was not to be overly critical of Amir and Davis. I’m high on both and think that they both have a very bright future.
I also agree with your earlier point about some of Blairs points coming when Bargs was late to switch. What never gets mentioned is when Bargs moves to support a perimeter defender and the help on his man is late. The reality is that the team defence sucks. Whether thats poor defenders, poor coaching, lack of communication, lack of practise time (probably all of the above), what bothers me is that the singular focus by many on this site is strictly one person.

by cmrm123 on Feb 10, 2011 11:37 AM EST up reply actions

Bargnani is the center and its his job to play help defense. You dont count on positions 1 through 4 to do all that much in the help defense department. True, they should guard their man then eventually lead them into the paint towards the center. Unfortunately, bargnani doesnt know what help defense is.

by untouchable_21 on Feb 10, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

Thats convenient....I guess its always Bargs fault.

Denver gave up 116 points last night. Man Nene is a horrible defender.

by cmrm123 on Feb 10, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions

nene IS a shit defender.

by untouchable_21 on Feb 10, 2011 11:58 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

^this

by EdDames on Feb 10, 2011 7:31 PM EST up reply actions

You dont count on positions 1 through 4 to do all that much in the help defense department.

Yeah … but it’d be nice if our 1-3 guys could stop someone …. ANYONE …. from always entering the paint. Our perimeter defense is one of the worst in the League. Probably thee worst.
.

by RapthoseLeafs on Feb 10, 2011 5:49 PM EST up reply actions

It's ridiculous

have these people ever played a game of basketball in their life??
It’s like Bargs is in a neverending 3 point competition during all star weekend.

by PNUTZ on Feb 10, 2011 12:21 PM EST up reply actions

Spurs vs Raptors-Men vs Boys-It's aTeam game

Duncan, 13 years NBA, 4 rings, All-Star, Finals MVP
Parker, 9 years NBA, 4 rings, All-Star, Finals MVP
Ginobli, 8 years NBA, 4 rings, All-Star
Total 30 years at the highest level of NBA on a team that is 40-8

The Raptors entire starting line-up 17 years NBA , no playoff wins.

It’s a testament to their TEAM EFFORT that they lost only by 11 points, and were leading after the 2rd as the talent levels, experience, both in players, coaching and management is not even on the same planet, as a team with 4 NBA championships.

by Johnn19 on Feb 10, 2011 11:47 AM EST reply actions

Wow! we only lost by eleven! We can only go DOWN from here!!! (end sarcasm)

by untouchable_21 on Feb 10, 2011 11:48 AM EST up reply actions

Facetious good times Facetious

by McGateway on Feb 10, 2011 12:20 PM EST up reply actions

A Roko Ukic masterclass comes to mind

was that the ackward chestbump game? Who was the other white guy?

by Tinmann on Feb 10, 2011 12:50 PM EST reply actions

Ha ha ha – Slokar perhaps???

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Feb 10, 2011 3:28 PM EST up reply actions

Jerry Sloan

Wow – just reading all the news about Sloan’s imminent resignation…

Feel for the Jazz and their fans, but hard not to think that he and Phil Johnson would make a great duo north of the border…

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Feb 10, 2011 3:28 PM EST reply actions

No doubt, but...

I am sure at least 20+ other teams think he would look great on their bench, too.

I assume the GM didn’t back Sloan up in his dust-up with D. Williams. At that point, Sloan’s position became untenable, so he felt he had no choice, but to resign. If my totally speculative theory is correct then that is a very sad statement on the state of today’s NBA.

by DW19 on Feb 10, 2011 4:04 PM EST up reply actions

Completely agree and it really is disgusting. One of the reasons I’ll always be a bigger college ball fan than NCAA one…

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Feb 10, 2011 4:26 PM EST up reply actions

Until the NCAA caves in and starts paying players (the way they should considering the obscene amount of money they make off of them).

by McGateway on Feb 10, 2011 9:24 PM EST up reply actions

i read this earlier today about sloan

wow just like that he’s resigning..didnt he sign a contract extension not too long ago..and this dust up he had with D. Williams when did this happen.

by sherwin316 on Feb 10, 2011 4:44 PM EST up reply actions

Sloan to Toronto

Come on BC, make the move. Sell the farm buddy. Please recruit Jerry Sloan to be the head coach of the Raptors. Guarantee him you will spend money to get him the best team possible and GUARANTEE him that he can come with his assistant, they can run the show and you will not get involved.

I always thought Lawrence Frank was the best choice but who knew Sloan was available? I would rather get Sloan than Melo right now. He would have a bigger and more positive impact on our future.

by defensive rap on Feb 10, 2011 3:43 PM EST reply actions

Sloan isn’t stupid. His first demand will be to have Barney shipped out the door.

by McGateway on Feb 10, 2011 9:24 PM EST up reply actions

Not sure if he would demand Bargs be dealt, without trying to break the Italian Stallion first…

Apparently he quit because Williams was bitching about everybody else on the team and blaming them…Bargs is lazy, but have there been reports of him being a finger pointer or whiner???

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Feb 10, 2011 10:37 PM EST up reply actions